The term "anarchy" is often used to mean general lawlessness and chaos, invoked positively by people like the Sex Pistols, and as a sort of boogeyman for wealthy property owners who apply it to anyone who is disruptive to society and the status quo. In philosophy, however, the concept of "anarchism", as laid out by people such as William Godwin, Peter Kropotkin, and Mikhail Bakunin, is a society without classes, or any other hierarchical structures where people on the bottom are expected to obey those at the top. Instead, property (such as factories, farms, and infrastructure) is communally owned, and work is done in a cooperative fashion to meet everyone's needs.
Despite calling for peace, cooperation, and equality, Anarchism is treated as a violent ideology by the wealthy property owners of "civilized" society (not entirely without reason, of course, as there have been many anarchists who have called for bombings and assassinations as a tactic). If history tells us much, it is that the wealthy elites in any society are typically rather disinclined to give up their property and power, and generally hold unfavorable views of those calling to change the system. Anarchists have been brutally suppressed throughout history by both capitalists, and state socialists such as the Soviet Union. In fact, in an ironic sort of way, they are far more stigmatized and suppressed than "anarchists" like the Sex Pistols who call for aimless violence and disobedience, for obvious reasons.
Despite calling for peace, cooperation, and equality, Anarchism is treated as a violent ideology by the wealthy property owners of "civilized" society (not entirely without reason, of course, as there have been many anarchists who have called for bombings and assassinations as a tactic). If history tells us much, it is that the wealthy elites in any society are typically rather disinclined to give up their property and power, and generally hold unfavorable views of those calling to change the system. Anarchists have been brutally suppressed throughout history by both capitalists, and state socialists such as the Soviet Union. In fact, in an ironic sort of way, they are far more stigmatized and suppressed than "anarchists" like the Sex Pistols who call for aimless violence and disobedience, for obvious reasons.
"Can I speak with your manager?"
"Okay, but the managers are only allowed to pretend to override corporate policy, when they are really just applying more specific corporate policy."
"Okay, but the managers are only allowed to pretend to override corporate policy, when they are really just applying more specific corporate policy."
Foucault's Editor: "could you maybe try to state your point a little more clearly and concisely?"
Foucault: "clear writing is one island of the carceral archipelago; binding, punishing, surveillance at all times the mind of the writer, forcing his thoughts to break down into so called scientific modes of grammar, that confine creativity and restrict freedom into contained and approved modes of expression."
Editor: "...what?"
Foucault: "In other words, no, I won't."
Foucault: "clear writing is one island of the carceral archipelago; binding, punishing, surveillance at all times the mind of the writer, forcing his thoughts to break down into so called scientific modes of grammar, that confine creativity and restrict freedom into contained and approved modes of expression."
Editor: "...what?"
Foucault: "In other words, no, I won't."
Also, memes are terrible. Enough with the memes. They aren't even funny. Is this what passes for culture now? I'm glad I died when I did so I never had to see this.
Also, memes are terrible. Enough with the memes. They aren't even funny. Is this what passes for culture now? I'm glad I died when I did so I never had to see this.
Theodor Adorno was a 20th century philosopher, social critic, and leftist theorist. He is most well known for his being a member of the Frankfurt School, who were prominent social critics in America and Europe. He's often seen as a sort of curmudgeonly elitist who hates popular culture, and well, pretty much everything else. He wrote essays, for example, attacking things like Jazz, for ruining music. A lot people think this is just a sort of old intellectual hating on the new fads, as often happens, but his major point was that Jazz had fundamentally changed what music was, and how people interacted with music, in a way that other fads had not. For example, people would have favorite Jazz tracks that they didn't even like to listen to, because they were really only "good for dancing".
He was wary of all populism, having seen it himself in Germany lead to Hitler and the Nazis. When he fled to America he saw a totally different kind of culture, which he was also highly critical of, where capitalism would create the culture itself. He thought that negative criticism was equally as important as positive advances in pushing humanity forward (in the Hegelian sense). One of his most popular works was Negative Dialectics. It isn't terribly uncommon for bad articles to pose questions like "What would Adorno think of X?", and the answer seems to almost universally be "he would hate it." Many of the institutions that Adorno criticized have only gotten stronger since he died. And he would probably not be too fond of twitter.
He was wary of all populism, having seen it himself in Germany lead to Hitler and the Nazis. When he fled to America he saw a totally different kind of culture, which he was also highly critical of, where capitalism would create the culture itself. He thought that negative criticism was equally as important as positive advances in pushing humanity forward (in the Hegelian sense). One of his most popular works was Negative Dialectics. It isn't terribly uncommon for bad articles to pose questions like "What would Adorno think of X?", and the answer seems to almost universally be "he would hate it." Many of the institutions that Adorno criticized have only gotten stronger since he died. And he would probably not be too fond of twitter.